Operating device for register valve

ABSTRACT

A register valve comprising a plurality of pivotally mounted directional vanes within a frame has a novel operating device for opening and closing such vanes. The operating device includes a slide member mounted for sliding movement on a suitable support in the frame, and is frictionally held in adjusted position. A pin and slot connection between the member and a bracket on one of the vanes rotates the vanes when the slide member slides along its support.

United States Patent 15] 3,683,786 Hedrick [4 Aug. 15, 1972 [54]OPERATING DEVICE FOR REGISTER 286,402 2/1953 Switzerland ..98/ 1 10VALVE 909,989 v 4/1954 Germany ..98/1 10 [72] Inventor: Warren R.lledrlck, Holland, MlCl'l. Primary Examiner gdward l Michael [73]Assignee: Allied Thermal Corporation, New Attorney-Johnston, Root,OKeefi'e, Keil, Thompson Britain, Conn. & ShurtlefT [22] Filed: Nov. 19,1970 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl 9ll29 A register valve comprising aplurality of pivotally mounted directional vanes within a frame has anovel [52] US. Cl. ..'.....98/ll0 Operating device for Opening andClosing Such limes 511 Int. Cl. ..F24r 13/06 The Operating deviceincludes a Slide member [58] Field of Search ..98/101 107 110 121 moumedforsliding movememo" unable PP in the frame, and is frictionally held inadjusted position. 56] References Cited A pin and slot connectionbetween the member and a FORElGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 10/1956 France.98/110 bracket on one of the vanes rotates the vanes when the slidemember slides along its support.

3 Clains, 8 Drawing Figures OPERATING DEVICE FOR REGISTER VALVE BRIEFSUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates in general to registerswhich may be mounted in the floor or wall of a room and which isprovided with a valve which may be opened and closed to permit orprevent the entrance of air into the room from a duct. Moreparticularly, the invention is directed to a new and improved form ofoperating device for opening and closing the valve therein, which ismade up of a plurality of rotatably mounted directional vanes.

Heretofore the directional vanes which comprise the valve of a registerhave been moved between open and closed positions either by means of alever arm affixed mom of the vanes directly and which extends outwardlybeyond the face of the frame in which the vanes are mounted, or it hasbeen necessary to utilize a separate tool which is inserted within theframe, and which is adapted to receive one of the vanes in a slottherein whereby movement of the tool will rotate the vanes. Where it isintended that all of the vanes of the valve move together they arepivotally connected to a bar so that a rotation of one vane will actthrough such connecting bar to rotate all of the vanes simultaneously.

In such prior devices it was necessary to provide specially designedfriction members or spring members to hold the vanes in adjustedposition, and very often such parts would corrode. In instances where aseparate tool or handle was used, the tool was often misplaced,resulting in loss of time and inconvenience when it became necessary tomake an adjustment of the valve.

The present invention is designed to overcome these disadvantages ofprior devices by providing an operating device which consists basicallyof a bracket mounted on one of the vanes, and a slide member, preferablyformed of a suitable plastic material, and operatively connected to saidbracket by means of a pin and slot arrangement. Such slide member issubstantially flush with the face of the frame in which the vanes aremounted, thereby providing a neat appearance and is adapted to slidelongitudinally of a suitable support.

In view of the foregoing, it is a principal object of the presentinvention to provide an improved form of operating device for a registervalve which is more economical to manufacture than prior devices whichhave been used to perform the same function, and which is easier toassemble, presents a neater appearance, and has fewer parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide an operating device for aregister valve wherein a bracket on one of the vanes making up the valveis connected by pin and slot means to a slide member which may bemanually operated to cause rotation of the vanes to an open or closedposition.

A further and more specific object is to provide an improved form ofoperating device for a register valve which includes a slide memberformed of non-corrosive material, such as a moldedplastic, and which isso mounted on a support as to frictionally engage such support, therebyto retain the slide member and thevanes in any adjusted position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which FIG. I is a front elevational view of aregister embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of such register taken substantially alongthe line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the register show ing the wall rofloor in section, and illustrating the operating device in its positionwhere the valve is closed, and taken substantially along the plane ofline 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 and taken along the plane of line 4-4of FIG. I, but showing the operating member in a position where thevalve is open;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view with certain parts ofthe register removed and showing in greater detail the valve operatingdevice;

FIG. 5A is a more detailed showing of the bottom of the guide slot forthe slide member as shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the slide member of the valveoperating device; and

FIG. 6A is a similar view in perspective of the slide member but showingthe opposite side thereof from that shown in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Registers of the type to which the presentinvention is applied consist normally of a frame, similar to those shownin FIG. 1, wherein opposed marginal end members I and 2 are assembledwith the opposed side members 3 and 4, resulting in an area within thisframe in which the valve is mounted. The frame of the register isadapted to be positioned within an opening in the floor or wall of aroom through which a duct carries either heated or cooled air.

Each of the marginal members 1, 2, 3 and 4 has a cross section which isof angular configuration with the outer faces thereof overlying portionsof the wall or floor around the opening.

The wall or floor in which the register is to be positioned is indicatedgenerally in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 by the numeral 5.

Each of the marginal members is provided with an inwardly extendingflange which is received within the wall or floor opening. Such flangeof the marginal member 1 is indicated by the numeral 6 and a similarflange 7 extends inwardly of the marginal member 2. The members 3 and 4are also provided with similar inwardly extending flanges, such flangefor the marginal member 3 being indicated by the numeral 8 in FIG. 2.The similar flange for the marginal member 4 is indicated by the numeral9 in FIGS. 3 and 4.

A plurality of fins 10 may, if desired, be provided between two of theopposed marginalmembers, and in this instance such fins are shown asextending between and mounted on the flanges 8 and 9 of the marginalmembers 3 and 4. The valve which is made up of a plurality of rotatablymounted vanes is located behind movement of the bar 15 and will thusrotate all of the vanes 11 simultaneously between open and closedpositions.

One of the vanes 11 has secured thereto at one end thereof a bracketmember generally indicated by the numeral 17. While this bracket may beseen in FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive, on a smaller scale, FIG. should bereferred to for a better understanding of its configuratron.

A portion 18 of the bracket 17 is suitably secured, as by rivets or thelike, to the extension 14 of one of the vanes 11. Intermediate the endsof the bracket it is offset slightly so that the tailpiece 19 thereofwill be spaced inwardly from the flange of its adjacent marginal member.In the present instance this tailpiece 19 is shown spaced from theflange 7.

The tailpiece 19 is provided with an elongated slot 20 therein and is sopositioned that a predetermined linear movement of a pin member tranversing the length thereof will cause the bracket to rotate the vanesbetween open and closed positions.

In addition to the bracket 17, the operating device has an actuator inthe form of a slide member generally indicated by the numeral 21. Theslide member is mounted for suitable sliding movement of any convenientsupport therefor within, or formed as a part of,

the frame in which the valve is located. For purposes of convenience' ithas been found to be preferable that this slide member be mounted forsliding movement on one of the marginal members, although it will beevident that it could be mounted for sliding movement along any othersuitable support, such as one of the fins 10.

Depending upon the support along which this member slides, the specificconfiguration thereof may vary. In the present instance this slidemember has been designed to be mounted upon one of the marginal memberssuch as the member 2 having the flange 7, and for mounting in thismanner the slide member comprises a main body portion 22 provided at oneend thereof with a face or surface 23 adapted to be engaged by a personshand for manual movement. A pin 24 ex-' tends outwardly adjacent theopposite end of the body portion and is adapted to be received within,and to traverse, the slot 20 in the tailpiece 19 of the bracket 17.

Intermediate the ends of the slide member 21, there is a wall 25extending transversely of the body portion and which has extending atsubstantially right angles thereto an arm 26. The outer end of the arm26 provided with a finger 27 which extends toward, and terminates inspaced relation to, the body portion 22.

In the specific embodiment illustrated, the flange 7 of the marginalmember 2 is provided with an elongated slot 28. The bottom or one end ofthe slot 28 is enlarged as at 29 for the purpose of receiving'the wall25, arm 26 and finger 27 of the slide member during assembly of theoperating device. I

It will become evident upon viewing FIGS. 5 through 6A that after theaforementioned parts of the slide member 21 have been inserted throughthe enlarged portion 29 of the slot 28, the member may be moved upwardlyso that the portion of the flange 7 immediately adjacent the slot 28will be received within the space between the finger 27 and the bodyportion 22. This space will be smaller than the thickness of the flangeso that there will be a frictional engagement of the flange between thefinger 27 and body portion 22. Thus, the operating device may be easilyadjusted to various positions along the length of the slot 28 and yetremain in any position to which it is adjusted.

The tailpiece 19 of the bracket 17, and the slot 20 therein, are soarranged and positioned with respect to the slide member than the pin 24may be received within the slot 20 only after the operating device hasbeen moved into the narrow part of the slot 28. In other words, when theslide member has been inserted in the enlarged portion 29 of slot 28,and then moved into the narrow part thereof the pin 24 may be receivedby slot 20. Thereafter, movement of the slide member in slot 28 willoperate the valve and, when moving the valve to open position the slidemember will engage the end of the slot before it reaches the enlargedpart 29.

The slide member is preferably formed of a suitable plastic material, orany other suitable material which is corrosion resistant. This feature,together with the construction of the slide member, overcomes thedisadvantages of prior valve operating devices since there will be onlytwo pieces to assemble. It is a simple matter to merely insert the slidemember in the slot 28 and position the pin in the slot 20 of thebracket, whereupon the entire operating device will be assembled.

FIG. 3 shows the vanes 11 when they are in closed position. They are inthis position when the slide member is in the far right position of FIG.3 and in the up position in FIGS. 1 and 5. In FIG. 4 the slide member 23has been moved toward the left, which is comparable to moving the memberdownwardly in FIGS. 1 and 5. In this position the pin 24 will havetraversed the slot 20 in the bracket and will have rotated one of thevanes 11 in a counterclockwise direction to open position. Because ofthe connecting bar 15 all of the vanes will likewise be rotated so thatthe valve is in open position. If it is desired to move the vanes to anintermediate position it may be done merely by moving the slide memberto the desired position, and it will remain in that position due to thefrictional contact between the slide member and the support along whichit moves, which, in the illustrated construction, happens to be theflange 7 of one of the marginal members.

It will be evident that if it is desired that the support for the slidemember be the adjacent fin 10, then such member may be modifiedaccordingly, and the pin 24 thereon will extend in the oppositedirection into the slot 20 but will still operate in the same manner toproduce the same result.

With this construction the end 23 of the slide member is substantiallyflush with the outer face of the frame, and blends well with theregister, thereby presenting a more pleasing appearance than priordevices, which have operating arms extending outwardly beyond the faceof the frame for a considerable distance. Furthermore, this constructionobviates any necessity for the use of a separate tool or handle foroperating the valve, and the attendant disadvantage thereof from thestandpoint of being lost or misplaced.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of partsfrom those disclosed herein without in any way departing from the spiritof the invention or sacrificing any of the attendant advantages thereof,provided, however, that such changes fall within the scope of the claimsappended hereto.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. In a register of the character described having a frame includingopposed end members and a valve consisting of a plurality of directionalvanes connected together and rotatably mounted at their ends in said endmembers for simultaneous movement between open and closed positions, anoperating device for opening and closing said valve comprising,

a. a bracket fixed to one of said vanes b. a slide member having a pinand slot connection with said bracket,

c. support means mounting said slide member for reciprocating slidingmovement in a direction transverse to the length of said vanes,

(1. said slide member including 1. a main body portion,

2. a wall extending transversely of said body portion intermediate theends thereof,

3. an arm extending outwardly from the outer en of said wall, and

4. a finger extending from said arm in a direction generally toward saidbody portion but terminating in spaced relation thereto,

e. said support means being received in the space between said fingerand said body portion and frictionally engaged thereby, whereby f.movement of said slide member through said pin and slot connection, willrotate said one vane, and those connected therewith, to open or closedpositions, and will be retained in any position to which it is adjusted.

2. A register valve operating device as definedin claim 1, wherein saidpin and slot connection comprises a slot in said bracket and a pin onsaid slide member adapted to traverse said slot and rotate said vaneswhen said slide member is moved.

3. A register valve operating device as defined in claim 1, wherein saidsupport means mounting said slide member includes anelongated slot inone of said end members receiving said wall of slide member for movementlengthwise thereof.

1. In a register of the character described having a frame includingopposed end members and a valve consisting of a plurality of directionalvanes connected together and rotatably mounted at their ends in said endmembers for simultaneous movement between open and closed positions, anoperating device for opening and closing said valve comprising, a. abracket fixed to one of said vanes b. a slide member having a pin andslot connection with said bracket, c. support means mounting said slidemember for reciprocating sliding movement in a direction transverse tothe length of said vanes, d. said slide member including
 1. a main bodyportion,
 2. a wall extending transversely of said body portionintermediate the ends thereof,
 3. an arm extending outwardly from theouter end of said wall, and
 4. a finger extending from said arm in adirection generally toward said body portion but terminating in spacedrelation thereto, e. said support means being received in the spacebetween said finger and said body portion and frictionally engagedthereby, whereby f. movement of said slide member through said pin andslot connection, will rotate said one vane, and those connectedtherewith, to open or closed positions, and will be retained in anyposition to which it is adjusted.
 2. a wall extending transversely ofsaid body portion intermediate the ends thereof,
 2. A register valveoperating device as defined in claim 1, wherein said pin and slotconnection comprises a slot in said bracket and a pin on said slidemember adapted to traverse said slot and rotate said vanes when saidslide member is moved.
 3. A register valve operating device as definedin claim 1, wherein said support means mountiNg said slide memberincludes an elongated slot in one of said end members receiving saidwall of slide member for movement lengthwise thereof.
 3. an armextending outwardly from the outer end of said wall, and
 4. a fingerextending from said arm in a direction generally toward said bodyportion but terminating in spaced relation thereto, e. said supportmeans being received in the space between said finger and said bodyportion and frictionally engaged thereby, whereby f. movement of saidslide member through said pin and slot connection, will rotate said onevane, and those connected therewith, to open or closed positions, andwill be retained in any position to which it is adjusted.